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Romantic park in Arkadia

Established at the close of the 18th century, the park in Arkadia was supposed to be the place to ponder over the human fate. The park is the only one of that kind in Poland. It survived almost unchanged.

Description

The Romantic English garden was being created for over 40 years
by its owner, the duchess Helena Radziwiłłowa. The park was
inspired by the then-new cultural and ideological movement. It
shows the return of interest in the ancient and medieval
architecture, as well as in exotic forms.

Many buildings characteristic for the period were erected in the
park. Artificial ruins and lapidaria were constructed. Even today
there are many beauty spots in the garden, as well as buildings
interestingly integrated into the beautiful green background.

The most characteristic building in Arkadia is the
Temple of Diana. It is a small building with a
portico supported by Ionic columns. On the tympanum there is a
quotation from Petrarch: “Dove pace trovai d’ogni mia Guerra” (“
Here I found peace after my every battle”).

The temple of Diana, which originally was a peculiar museum
where the duchess Radziwiłłowa collected her relics of the past,
also today holds the exhibition of sculptures and decorative
architectural elements from ancient Greece and Rome. In addition,
the plafond of the main room is decorated with the painting “
Jutrzenka” (“Eos”) by Jean-Pierre Norblin. In the temple there is
also the so-called Etruscan Hall.

Moreover, in the park there is also
the Temple of the Archpriest or the artificial
ruins consisting of brick, bog iron and architectural details –
ancient and Renaissance sculptures (including, inter alia, the
works of Jan Michałowicz of Urzędowo). On the south-west side of
the temple, there is a wall with herms. The east wall of the Temple
of the Archpriest is decorated with a white stucco bas-relief “The
Hope feeding the Chimera” by Gioacchino Staggi.

The Aqueduct – a double-storey brick construction –
was built by the cascades.

The Stone Arch – the frame of the main vista of
the park in Arkadia – connects the River Łupia to the pond.

The House of the Burgrave – a building with a
tower and pointed-arched ceramic decoration.

The Gothic House and
the Cave of Sybil – surrounded on the south side
by an arcaded gallery. In the opposite escarpment there is a
chapel. The house has some features of the neo-Gothic style.

The Circus with the Obelisk – inspired by Roman
circuses for chariot racing. There is an inscription carved into
stone: “Helena placed it here to thank August.” It is a dedication
to the emperor Alexander I, who provided the materials for the
construction of the circus: marble and granites.

The lid of the
Tomb of Illusions and the Lapidarium.

Date or time of building

1778

Date or time of building

1778 r. (XVIII w.)

Building material

Marble, granite, brick, stone, bog iron, ceramics.

History

The duchess Radziwiłłowa established the garden in 1778, but she
was developing her work all her life to make it more attractive.
She died in 1821. The designers of the park were Jean-Pierre
Norblin and Aleksander Orłowski. Since 1799 their projects were
carried out by Bogumił Zug and then, in 1799-1804, by Henryk
Ittar.

The first buildings, constructed in 1781 by the swollen pond,
were the Cascades and the Cottage by the Waterfall. Then, in 1783,
the Temple of the Archpriest and the Temple of Diana were built.
The Aqueduct was erected one year later.

In 1785-1789 other buildings were constructed: the Cave of Sybil
made of field boulders, the Stone Arch and the country cottages of
Philemon and Baucis. In addition, the Corner of Melancholy, the
Gate of Time and the circle of altars on the Island of Sacrifices
were created.

With time, Arkadia was being developed. The House of the
Burgrave and the Gothic House above the Cave of the Sybil were
built.

In 1800 the Tomb of Illusion was constructed. It was dedicated
to three daughters of the duchess Radziwiłłowa. Then the Roman
Circus, the amphitheatre and the Swiss House were built.

Type of collection

In the temple of Diana there is a rich collection of sculptures
and architectural details, including a bust of a Roman woman, the
Head of Niobe, sarcophagi, funeral urns, Greek and Roman steles and
garden ornaments. Moreover, the visitors can see some architectural
elements in the lapidarium along with some items inspired by
ancient art, such as the sculpture of Sleeping Ariadne, a young
Roman, the bust of Meleager, the Tripod of Slanislaus August,
the Mannerist mascaron by Guglielmo della Porta and herms by
Michałowicz of Urzędowo.

Curious details

The park in Arkadia was established as a result of certain kind
of rivalry between members of Polish aristocracy. Similar parks
were created in Puławy and in Powązki and Mokotów in Warsaw.
However, the park in Arkadia is unique, since it is the only
Romantic park established at the turn of the 18th century which
survived almost unchanged.

Most of the Renaissance sculptures in the Temple of the
Archpriest come from St Victoria’s Chapel of the collegiate church
in Łowicz, which was being reconstructed at the time.

The Aqueduct built in 1764 was demolished in 1864 and rebuilt in
1950 by Gerard Ciołek.

In the Gothic House the duchess Radziwiłłowa created “the
apartment of the knight” devoted to her son Michał Gedeon.
Memorabilia connected with the hero, who fought as a general in the
battles of Gdańsk and Połock, were collected in the house.